I haven't written in a while, mostly because I knew I really wanted to dedicate a blog to the world wide phenomenon that is Harry Potter. But in reality, I just didn't want to say goodbye. I would be already to sit down and write about my rereading of all seven books but something would stop me. I thought, wait til after the movie. You can compare and contrast. And so I forgot. At the theater, I thought it would be a really great time to write about waiting in line and some fun memories. I just couldn't seem to sit down and say what this series really means to me, because if I did it would be mean that it was really and truly over.
My story of Harry Potter begins about 14 years ago. After reading the first three books quicker than Voldemort can say "Avada Kedavra", the first movie was coming out the day before my high school placement test in 2001. Aunt Nan came over and we had our first ever Harry Potter premiere party (soon to be the place to be when a new movie came out. Nobody throws a Potter Party then us.) and I still have the picture of us wearing our very own broken glasses. This led to waiting in line for seats and waiting in line for the following 4 books to come out.
The last book was amazing. People died and people came together and expressed their true feelings. Not really that different from most epic stories, I'll admit, but the way J.K. Rowling brought it all together made all the difference. I read the book in 5 hours ( Albeit I took breaks to prolong the ending. I remember pausing on the beginning of the battle, closing the cover and taking deep breaths because this was it. The end.) After it was over, we had three more movies to look forward to.
Before I tell you about my last two weeks, I want to stress a point I don't think most people care to take into consideration. The movies.... (Ready for this?) are not going to be as good as the books. Did I just blow your mind? I know, crazy sauce. The movies are a companion to the books. Do I still compare them? Of course. But they are meant to be taken as entertainment and to allow people who haven't or won't read the books to enjoy them. ( Why I don't think I will ever understand. If you still haven't read them, at least listen to them on tape.) The writers of the movies are going to change things, it's inevitable. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes not. They have to take what's in print and translate it to the screen and put their own mark on it.
I have actually never read the books back-to-back. I've read them all at least 5 times, but never 1-7, making it my new goal to do so before the last movie came out. I was doing really well; the Tuesday prior to the movie I was on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was not always my favorite but on rereading it this time I actually fell in love with it. I had my tickets (14 to be exact) for the midnight movie and my tickets for the 3 a.m. 3-D IMAX showing. Did you just read that right? Was I actually seeing it twice? Back to back? It gets better...
See, I don't like getting to movies late. I like to get there early. Well, seeing as this was the last Harry Potter movie I was convinced people would be there very, very, very, very early. So I needed to be there first. I got there at 5 a.m. Thursday morning. Yep, you read that correctly. I got there and the cleaning crew was finishing up. But, I was first! I pulled out my book and started reading in my car. Around 6 o'clock, the parking lot lights went off but by 6:30 the sun was coming up. I sat in my car til 9 when the theater opened up and went in and sat in my line.
You can call my crazy, others already have. I had nothing better to do that day then to dedicate it to Harry Potter. I met some great people and made it into the paper. If you have Facebook you can go see my video blog I did during my 17 and half hour wait til midnight, they are quite comical if you can imagine. As I sat in my seat, with the lights dimming, all I could think was this is the end.
Did I like it? Absolutely. I loved it. It might be one of my favorite movies. Did they change things around and add some new stuff. Of course. Doesn't really bother me. The movies have always been there to be companions to the books but these last three movies have allowed them to stand alone from the books too. Director David Yates deserves most of the credit for this as do the very talented cast. Did I cry? Duh. As soon as Professor McGonagall came on screen and the battle truly began, there were tears. I did cry harder the second time but that might have something to do with exhaustion.
I saw the movie again yesterday for the third time and it just keeps getting better. You notice new things, are able to actually hear some of the quieter lines, and just really able to enjoy the movie. It was funny but not as funny as others in the past. Some people say that the humor diminished the drama but in real life there are funny moments during devastating events. Also, it's a movie people. The final battle sequence is different than in the books but honestly it doesn't bother me. I was able to say goodbye and still love the movies and books equally.
Saying goodbye to the actors who brought life to our characters was harder than I thought. I won't say who dies but the sniffling and sobbing heard in the theater tells me that I wasn't the only one devastated all over again. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint will always be Harry, Hermione, and Ron to me.
Is this really goodbye? Of course not. But in a way it is a goodbye to my childhood. I do know that I will always be a kid at heart so I'm not completely saying goodbye. It's just hard to know that there will never be more. But in a way, we can always go back....
"... so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." J.K. Rowling
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